Success Without Steroids
A curriculum for student athletes, parents, and coaches
Assembled by
IHSA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee
Educational objectives
What are steroids?
Who uses steroids? Why?
Do steroids work?
What are the health risks associated with using steroids?
What are the myths about steroids?
What are the healthy ways to achieve my goals without using steroids?
What are steroids?
Powerful drugs that many people use as a short cut to boost their athletic performance or improve their appearance
Sometimes called “Roids”, “Juice”, “Hype”, “Pump”
Properly called anabolic-androgenic steroids
What do “anabolic” and “androgenic” mean?
Anabolic = “building body tissue”
Anabolic-androgenic steroids help to increase muscle mass and body weight, and speed up bone maturation
Androgenic = “promoting male characteristics”
Anabolic-androgenic steroids promote development of facial hair, deeper voice, balding, and other male characteristics
All “anabolic” steroids are also “androgenic”
What do steroids do?
Doctors sometimes prescribe low doses of anabolic-androgenic steroids to treat people with serious medical conditions
Example = A man’s testosterone level decreases due to a testicular tumor
Dose prescribed is only enough to bring the testosterone level back up to normal
Testosterone levels and side effects are monitored closely by the doctor
Examples of anabolic-androgenic steroids
Testosterone (Depo-testosterone)
Nandrolone (Deca-durabolin)
Methandrostenolone (Dianabol)
Oxandrolone (Oxandrin/Anavar)
Oxymetholone (Anadrol)
Stanzol (Winstrol)
Trenbolone (Finaplix)
Boldenone (Equipoise)
Tetrahydrogestrinone
Norbolethone
Madol
What are corticosteroids?
Medications prescribed by doctors to treat medical conditions such as asthma and arthritis
Examples = Prednisone, Medrol
Corticosteroids are not anabolic or androgenic
Corticosteroids have no muscle-building effects
Why do people use steroids?
To make muscles bigger and stronger
To be a better athlete
To get an edge over the competition
To look better
Pressure from friends or coach
Who uses steroids?
Not just professional athletes!
20% of college students 1
4-12% of high school students 2-10
2-3% of middle school students 11,12
Highest rates of steroid use among teens are
seen in football players 2-5,12
High school students in Illinois
1990 survey of 3047 high school freshman and seniors 13
3% of boys and 0.9% of girls reported steroid use
14% identified teacher/coach as source of steroids
Not just men!
Up to 2.9% of middle and high school girls 11,12
Not just athletes!
25% of teens who report steroid use do not participate in organized athletics 14
How do people take steroids?
Pills
Injections
Gels or creams
Taken in doses 10-40 times higher than prescription doses to treat medical conditions
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